Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a national gathering of a black college sorority Wednesday — skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress to speak instead about how she plans to build upon President Biden’s record if she becomes America’s first female president.
Harris, 59, spoke to members of Zeta Phi Beta in Indianapolis — delivering one of her first speeches since becoming the Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee following President Biden’s Sunday decision to step aside and endorse her to replace him on Nov. 5 ballots.
“We share a vision for the future of our nation — a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead; a future of social justice, health justice, economic justice,” Harris told the crowd.
“Ours is a vision of a future in which we realize the promise of America. And I deeply believe in the promise of America: a promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice not for some but for all.”
Harris laid out some details of her own policy agenda, saying she would “continue to fight for affordable childcare, affordable elder care, and paid family leave.”
She used the word “freedom” 13 times to describe her vision on abortion rights, gun rights, voting rights and state policies against the teaching of so-called Critical Race Theory.
“Across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights: the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to live without fear of bigotry and hate, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride, the freedom to learn and acknowledge our true and full history, and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do,” she said.
On abortion rights — a key Republican liability, according to polls — Harris said: “We who believe in reproductive freedom will fight for a woman’s right to choose, because one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do.”
Zeta Phi Beta boasts more than 125,000 members — comprising an important constituency for Harris as she seeks to solidify her mandate and energize Democrats ahead of the election against former President Donald Trump.
Harris was a member of a different black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, when she was an undergraduate student at Howard University in Washington.
Harris’ ceremonial role as president of the Senate might otherwise have had her sitting in the House chamber for Netanyahu’s visit.
Her day-trip to Indiana kept her far from anti-Israel protests outside the Capitol — as Democrats hope her elevation to the party’s nominee will mend furor among Arab and Muslim voters over the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
In a glimmer of hope for Democrats on that front, Harris delivered her first campaign speech Tuesday in Milwaukee and was greeted by about 20 protesters outside who opposed US support for Israel — but in a notable distinction from Biden’s campaign events she was not heckled by her 3,000-person crowd, after demonstrators frequently bellowed “Genocide Joe!” at Biden.
Harris spoke in Indianapolis ahead of Biden’s 8 p.m. address to the nation on his decision to step aside following a Democratic revolt due to questions about his mental acuity at age 81.
Harris praised Biden, saying, “tonight, our president will address the nation about his decision to step down as a candidate, and he will talk about not only the work, the extraordinary work that he has accomplished but about his work in the next six months.”
“Joe Biden is a leader with bold vision. He cares about the future,” she went on.
“He thinks about the future. He has extraordinary determination and profound compassion for the people of our country. And I say that because I know that we are all deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation.”
